---
title: Welcome to Chatwoot Developer Docs
description: Your comprehensive guide to installing, configuring, developing with, and integrating Chatwoot - the open-source customer support platform.
sidebarTitle: Introduction
---


## What You'll Find Here

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card
    title="Installation & Setup"
    icon="server"
    href="/self-hosted"
  >
    Deploy Chatwoot on your infrastructure with Docker, Kubernetes, or cloud providers
  </Card>
  <Card
    title="Development Guide"
    icon="code"
    href="/contributing-guide"
  >
    Contribute to Chatwoot with our development setup, testing guidelines, and best practices
  </Card>
  <Card
    title="API Reference"
    icon="square-terminal"
    href="/api-reference/introduction"
  >
    Build powerful integrations with our comprehensive REST APIs
  </Card>
  <Card
    title="Architecture"
    icon="sitemap"
    href="/self-hosted/deployment/architecture"
  >
    Understand Chatwoot's system architecture and components
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Getting Started Paths

Choose your path based on what you want to accomplish:

### 🚀 **I want to install Chatwoot**
Perfect! Head to our [Installation Guide](/self-hosted) to deploy Chatwoot on your preferred platform. We support:
- Docker containers for quick setup
- Kubernetes for scalable deployments
- Major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Traditional Linux VMs

### 🛠️ **I want to contribute to Chatwoot**
Check out our [Contributing Guide](/contributing-guide) to:
- Set up your development environment
- Understand our coding standards
- Learn our testing practices
- Submit your first pull request

### 🔌 **I want to build integrations**
Great! Explore our [API Reference](/api-reference/introduction) with three categories of APIs:
- **Application APIs** - Manage accounts, agents, and conversations
- **Platform APIs** - Administrative control for installations
- **Client APIs** - Build custom chat interfaces

### 📚 **I want to understand the architecture**
Excellent! Our [Architecture Guide](/self-hosted/deployment/architecture) covers:
- System components and their interactions
- Database schemas and relationships
- Scalability considerations
- Security best practices

## Why Chatwoot?

Chatwoot is built with modern technologies and follows industry best practices:

- **Open Source**: Full transparency and community-driven development
- **Multi-channel**: Support customers across web, mobile, email, and social platforms
- **Scalable**: From small teams to enterprise deployments
- **Extensible**: Rich APIs and webhook system for custom integrations
- **Modern Stack**: Ruby on Rails backend, Vue.js frontend, PostgreSQL database

## Community & Support

Join our thriving community of developers and users:

- **GitHub**: [github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot](https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot)
- **Community**: [chatwoot.com/community](https://chatwoot.com/community)
- **Discussions**: [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/discussions)
- **Twitter**: [@chatwootapp](https://twitter.com/chatwootapp)

---

Ready to dive in? Choose your path above and let's build something amazing together! 🚀
